78 dead after boat with refugees and migrants sinks off Greece

At least 78 people have died and many more are feared missing after a fishing boat carrying refugees and migrants capsized and sank off the southern coast of Greece – one of the worst such disasters this year.

The Greek coastguard said in a statement on Wednesday the vessel sank in international waters, 47 nautical miles (87km) southwest of Pylos, off the Peloponnese coast. The spot is close to one of the deepest areas of the Mediterranean.

The accident prompted an extensive rescue operation complicated by strong winds, the coastguard said, adding about 100 people had been rescued so far. Six coastguard vessels, a navy frigate, a military transport and an air force helicopter, as well as several private vessels, were taking part in the search for those missing – a rescue operation set to continue overnight.

Initial reports suggested hundreds of people may have been aboard when the boat went down. An aerial photograph of the battered blue vessel released by the coastguard showed scores of people covering practically every inch of deck.

Coastguard spokesman Nikos Alexiou told state ERT TV it appeared that the 25 to 30-metre (80 to 100-foot) vessel capsized after people abruptly moved to one side.

“The outer deck was full of people and we presume the interior [of the vessel] would also have been full,” he said. “It looks as if there was a shift among the people who were crammed on board, and it capsized.”

Four of the survivors were hospitalised in the port city of Kalamata with symptoms of hypothermia. Dozens of others were taken to sheltered areas in the city that were set up by the ambulance services and the United Nations Refugee Agency to receive dry clothes and medical attention.

None of those rescued had safety equipment such as life jackets, the coastguard said.

Greece’s caretaker prime minister, Ioannis Sarmas, declared three days of national mourning, “with our thoughts on all the victims of the ruthless smugglers who exploit human unhappiness”.

(Aljazeera)